dudacek

You can often get relentless, focused skaters like Kulich late in the first or early in the second - guys like Rasmus Asplund. And sometimes you can get guys with deadly shots around that spot, too - guys like Arthur Kaliyev or this year’s Isaac Howard. But guys who combine both qualities aren’t available at 28 very often. I think Kulich coming up during a pandemic in the Czech league may have let him slip under the radar a bit for some teams. And I think some of them will regret it.

About a month ago I brought up Ostlund on here as a guy to watch for and made this exact comparison: He was the Aho to Ohgren’s Puljujarvi and Lekkerimaki’s Laine. Like Aho, he was overlooked for being less of the physical specimen. Hopefully, like Aho, he will turn out to be the real brains of the operation. He’s got the mind and the skill and he competes. He will get bigger and he should get more physically confident. A couple years back I gravitated to a guy who seemed to generally be ranked too low for 8, but who also just really just seemed to get it. He was a guy I wondered if people were overlooking. That guy was Jack Quinn. This year, Ostlund was that guy for me at 16. He has so much potential for growth. Old-timers will remember the guy he reminds me most of: Igor Larionov. I really like this pick.

@Thorny Hey, man, this one was for you.

Definitely should reinvest in centres this year. But the pipeline isn't empty because they've been neglectful, it's empty because they've mostly been hitting on their swings and their prospects have moved up to the big club. 1st rounder from 2016 2nd rounder in 2016 top 10 pick in 2017 2nd rounder in 2017 1st rounder in 2019 top 10 pick in 2019 How many teams have invested more than 6 significant picks in the past 6 years on centres? Focusing on the need to rebalance after the past 2 years is fine, but I don't think the past 2 years are troubling. Prior to Quinn and Peterka, they only used one significant pick on a winger in 5 years. These things tend to go in cycles.

I know. My point was that we are going to get some talented players, regardless of whether they take “my guys” or not.

Guess I can’t give him too much credit for a deal that didn’t go through, but holy ***** Adams, nice work buddy! That would have been a coup.

The day has arrived. The best case realistic scenario for me is Savoie and Yurov: two competitive guys who will play top 6 and give our forward ranks the biggest injection of skill possible from where we are picking. Worst case scenario for me: Lekkerimaki/Kemmel and Geekie/Lambert: four guys who might be as gifted as the two I want. All kinds of of intriguing permutations in between. And really, what the hell do I know. I'm just some guy with an unhealthy obsession with the Buffalo Sabres. Bottom line: today we will get better. Enjoy the evening. Looking forward to reading your reviews.

So basically he’s Taylor Hall.

So much this. I mean it’s probably not going to work and the charm will inevitably disappear if the losses mount. But it’s so much easier to be invested in our guys, as opposed to a bunch of mercenaries. And I think that’s true for the players in the room as well. If Dahlin and Cozens and Levi and the rest get good together, it will mean something, especially to those of us who were part of the ride from the beginning. It’s something Adams seems to recognize and fully embrace.

I like Nazar and would be happy to pick him, but he does seem to have a bit of an obstinate streak that causes me to drop him below guys like Savoie and Kaspar.

All draft picks come with risk. Do your homework as best you can on an individual player’s skill set and situation. Then play fearless.

I think WRIGHT was tagged as a franchise centre, while Lambert, and to a lesser extent, Savoie and Miroshnichenko were guys people were really excited about and they’ve all disappointed to a certain degree.

Both Cosentino and Pronman mocked Nazar to 19th. Pronman says he knows the internet loves him, but scouts generally have him in the late teens. He's 15 on McKenzie's list too, so maybe he has something there?

I hope not, but that's who he mocks to us. Savoie (11th) seems to be a much better fit for the Sabres depth chart and for their "type". Cosentino calls a Lekkerimaki a good compliment to Quinn and Peterka. I say with Olofsson Skinner and Tuch already on the roster and Poltapov, Rosen and Kisakov coming, it's redundant. We've taken wingers with 5 of our past 6 picks in the top two rounds. He also has us taking Ostlund at 16 and Pickering at 28. https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/sportsnets-2022-nhl-mock-draft-predicting-how-round-1-will-unfold/

Sam Cosentino says he’s hearing Kasper might shake up the top 10 for those who haven’t been paying much attention. As high as 5, likely won’t drop past Ottawa at 7 and will not drop past Detroit at 8.

Off all the rankings I’ve read, probably the one that most closely matches my opinions. Savoie/Kasper and Yurov top 2 picks and I will be a happy man.

This was so much me.

If the Sens need to get the floor, I hear Ben Bishop might be available.

My take is that the top 5 is lacking elite talent, but the 2nd and 3rd tiers are deep. It has maybe 10 guys after the first 5 that would typically go 5-10 in a lot of drafts and maybe a dozen more after them who might go top 20.

Terry can just drill another well.

Hell yes. Murray is rightly regarded as a terrible anchor because of the cap, but the cap is irrelevant to the Sabres this year and might be next year as well. Worst case scenario, we spend $15 million of Terry's cash and banish Murray to east coast league. Now that's weaponizing cap space! Small price to pay for a top 10 pick, IMO. Best case scenario, Murray rebounds and is the bridge we need to get to Levi. I mean he's been terrible, but when the alternatives are looking like Tokarski, Subban and Dell...

That's a bit of a "Wow!" Have we ever seen such pre-draft declaration from a club team before? If true, it sounds like the Sabres have done some homework with the club and player to address the potential pitfalls of drafting a Russian and mapped out a development plan. Also, if true, love the pick.

That would be justifiable, but underwhelming. Lekkerimaki neither fills need, nor fits my concept of an Adams’ Sabre. There will likely be others there I’d prefer to Kulich, but he’d be good value and more of a Sabre. Lambert is not someone I’m high on, despite the fact his talent is hard to overlook at 28. Savoie and Kasper remain much better choices at 9. Yurov is a definite want and Ostlund is very much underrated by internet fans.

Nice Athletic piece on Kasper https://theathletic.com/3388698/2022/07/05/marco-kasper-nhl-draft/ He just sounds like the embodiment of what the Sabres look for under Adams. Descriptors include: engine smart selfless willing strong-skating trust tenacious engaged fan-favourite details initiative I only see 2 things standing between him and the Sabres: GMs in the top 8 and this: “But it is also apparent that Kasper isn’t a gifted passer or a necessarily imaginative facilitator when he has the puck.” You are definitely getting a player with Kasper. But are you getting enough from a top 10 pick?

Yes, exactly. I get the idea of planning to have UPL move into a bigger role by the end of this season and Levi challenging him 2 or 3 years down the road. But it can’t be your only plan. If you don’t sign Campbell because you don’t want to make a 5-year $30 million investment it would take to get him, I can get behind that. It’s a bad contract. If you don’t trade for Georgiev because Drury is demanding Portillo and pick 16 in return, I can get behind that too. It’s a bad trade. But if you can get a goalie at more reasonable prices, you can’t let term and the maybe of UPL or Levi get in your way.